Junior Hockey

Raiders 1 Giants 0: Character, gumption but still another loss

Prince Albert Raiders goalie Ian Scott watches teammate Brayden Pachal clear Vancouver Giants Dawson Holt from in front of the net in game 4 of the Western Hockey League championship series playoffs at the Langley Event centre, Langley May 08 2019. Photo: Gerry Kahrmann

Steve Ewen

Published: May 9, 2019 - 12:02 PM

Life moves fast.

Late Vancouver Canucks reporter Jason Botchford liked to say that. It could certainly apply to the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday, as they went from looking like they had no business in the WHL final with the Prince Albert Raiders in an 8-2 loss on Tuesday to giving Prince Albert everything they could handle in a 1-0 Raiders win at the Langley Events Centre.

Vancouver now trails the best-of-seven league championship series 3-1, but they certainly showed character and gumption in bouncing back from Tuesday’s debacle.

Game 5 of the set goes Friday at the LEC.

Wednesday was likely the loudest the LEC has been during the Giants’ tenure there, thanks to the efforts of the crowd of 4,626.

“To respond after yesterday…that’s what we’ve done all year long,” said Giants coach Michael Dyck. “I’m proud of the way we responded because it wasn’t an easy situation to be in. It’s a step in the right direction. We have our backs against the wall but we’ll keep pushing.

“We built a foundation today after yesterday. We made some strides in the second and third period yesterday, but we played the way we needed to play today. We played Giants hockey and just came up short.”

Dyck added of the crowd: “We obviously love the fan support here. This run and the way the fans have reacted certainly gives us a lot of energy. We appreciate that.”

NEXT GAME

Friday | Game 5

Raiders lead WHL Championship series 3-1

Prince Albert Raiders vs. Vancouver Giants

7:30 p.m., Langley Events Centre, Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM

Brett Leason bagged the winner for Prince Albert at 4:21 of the third period, finishing off a breakaway by snapping a shot blocker side that barely trickled through Vancouver netminder David Tendeck.

It was the 10th goal of the postseason for Leason, who is expected to be a first-rounder in June’s NHL Draft at Rogers Arena after he was passed over in his first two years of eligibility.

Vancouver had a glorious chance with 7:36 remaining, when Ian Scott sprawled across the crease to thwart Alex Kannok Leipert with his glove after Bowen Byram had set up Kannok Leipert.

“I was trying to get something in front of it,” said Scott, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. “He was wide open… just anything I can.”

Kannok Leipert added: “I just saw Bowen coming out of the corner and he had made a really nice play, and I tried to get it off as quick as I could. He just made a good save. He got there quick enough for me.”

Tendeck, who was pulled early and reinserted on Tuesday, and Scott were both superb on Wednesday. Tendeck finished with 25 saves, Scott with 36.

Scott and Leason were both members of Team Canada’s entry at the world juniors in Vancouver earlier this season.

“Big moments are for big players. Sometimes guys want to shy away from those times. That’s not what it’s all about. These guys stepped up tonight. That’s what we needed them to do,” Prince Albert coach Marc Habscheid said of Leason and Scott.

Bowen Byram knocks Prince Albert Raiders Ozzy Wiesblatt to the ice in game 4 of the Western Hockey League championship series.

A Better Start

It would have be difficult to have a worse start Wednesday than they had Tuesday, when they gave up a goal and a penalty in the opening minute and were down 4-0 and had been assessed four minor penalties by the 6:33 mark of the first period.

Giants fans had to feel good when Tendeck got his shoulder on a Dante Hannoun chance at 0:24, and Vancouver was awarded the first power play at 10:38, thanks to Justin Nachbaur slashing Byram. Byram, to his credit, turned and skated away.

Byram laid a bone-rattling hit on Ozzy Wiesblatt earlier in the frame, which led to a fracas between Byram and Noah Gregor. They both received unsportsmanlike conduct minors.

Vancouver’s Davis Koch nearly opened the scoring when Scott got a piece of his chance on a shorthanded breakaway with 1:07 left in the frame.

Vancouver Giants Milos Roman scratches Prince Albert Raiders Zack Hayes’s beard in the second period of game 4 of the Western Hockey League championship series.

When in Roman

Milos Roman, who was one of Vancouver’s two or three best performers in the regular season, had his best game of these playoffs. He had the burst and energy that we saw so often in the regular season.

Roman had to go back to Slovakia to write exams to ensure his high school graduation and missed three of the final four regular season encounters doing that. He hadn’t been as noticeable in the early portion of the playoffs.

He missed on a semi-breakaway in the second period.

Dyck had switched up his forward lines prior to Tuesday’s game, and had Koch move from centre to teaming with Justin Sourdif to flank Roman. Jadon Joseph, who had been one of Koch’s wingers, moved to centre, between Brayden Watts and Tristen Nielsen. Watts had been with Roman and Sourdif.

Byram Connections

There were sightings of legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who’s working as an advisor for the Chicago Blackhawks, and Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake and coach Todd McLellan on Wednesday at the LEC, marking their second straight evening at the rink.

The Blackhawks have the third overall pick in June’s NHL Draft at Rogers Arena, the Kings the fifth.

Byram, who led all defencemen in the three major junior leagues in goals (26) during the regular season, is a candidate to go in the first four or five picks.

Fun fact about McLellan: He was a New York Islanders prospect for a time, and he was a member of their 1988-89 Springfield Indians farm team which also included Shawn Byram, the father of the Giants defenceman.

The elder Byram, a left winger, was a fourth-round pick of the Islanders in 1986. He got into five NHL games before finishing his pro career in Europe.

Prince Albert Raiders Jeremy Masella and Aliaksei Protas watch goalie Ian Scott deflect a shot from Vancouver Giants Milos Roman in game 4 of the Western Hockey League championship series.

Lineup Changes

The Giants made one lineup change on Wednesday, switching its fourth line be reinserting centre Evan Patrician and sending winger Landon Fuller back to the press box.

Patrician saw limited ice time, much like Fuller did.

Fuller, 19, spent the majority of the season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, but played five regular season games with the Giants when they had injury trouble. He joined Vancouver full time when Vernon’s season was completed and he played the first three games of the series against Prince Albert.

Dyck was looking for a physical presence with Fuller, who checks in at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds.

Patrician, who turned 18 last month, saw action in Vancouver’s first 15 playoff games. He was a regular with the Giants throughout the campaign.

Prince Albert Raiders Jeremy Masella and Brett Leason celebrate Leason’s goal on the Vancouver Giants in the third period.

Sick Bay

Prince Albert defenceman Max Martin (undisclosed), who left Game 2 in the second period after crashing shoulder first into the boards, missed his second straight for the Raiders.

Martin had six goals and 41 points in 59 regular season games for Prince Albert, and had a plus-45 rating. In his first 18 playoff games, he had seven assists and was a plus-14.

Loeden Schaufler, who had played in just four previous playoff games for Prince Albert prior to Game 3, got to play in his place against Wednesday